Speed Secrets Podcast

The Speed Secrets Podcast is all about high performance and race driving. In it, Ross Bentley has conversations with guests, resulting in tips, advice and inspiration you can take to the track. Digging into topics such as trail braking, cornering lines, race track specific advice, data acquisition and video analysis, upshifting and downshifting, handling and car setup, steering techniques, and the skill of using the throttle - all while driving on track - the goal is to not just entertain you, but also help you learn. Along the way, these conversations will get into why we drive on race tracks, igniting your passion for the sport. Each episode is 30 to 45 minutes in length – just right for listening to while on your way to work, to the track, or while you're working out. Oh, and in each episode - posted weekly on Thursdays - Ross will share one of his quick and effective Speed Secret tips.

Michael O’Neal joins me to talk about his experience at the Monterey Historics (he had just gotten back from the event), Porsches, his adventures in buying and restoring his ’72 911, autocrossing, what being a solopreneur is all about, how anyone can build a business in motorsport, and what he loves about driving. And you’ll move his passion for everything he does.

Michael’s business is the Solopreneur Hour and Solo Lab, where he helps solopreneurs (and I believe, any entrepreneur) with advice, coaching and resources. That’s when he strictly working. And when he’s not (although the lines are blurred between “working” and his hobbies), he’s playing the drums, mountain biking, playing racquetball, working on his Porsche, and most importantly, driving. He’s a multi-time autocross champion, and avid track day geek.

Kenton Koch joins me to talk about car control, how to develop these skills, what driving the limit takes, and the difference between cars with aerodynamic downforce and those that don’t. We recorded this conversation between races at the Trois Rivieres round of the IMSA Prototype Challenge event, where Kenton dominated both races.

Kenton is one of the best up-and-coming young sports car drivers, having won in every form and class of racing he’s competed in, from Skip Barber Racing Series to the Global MX-5 Cup, and IMSA Prototype Challenge to winning his class at the Daytona 24-Hour race. And get this: his Winning Percentage over the past 4 years is 52 wins out of 75 races, or 70%! There are not many drivers who can claim that!

Michael Zimicki joins me to talk about driver coaching. We dive into the question of how many true, pro coaches there are (as opposed to just how many call themselves coaches), what great coaches do, and what you should look for if and when you look to hire one. Oh, and we talk about what the best drivers do differently.

In this episode I introduced my new program called The 30-Day Zone Challenge (okay, not the coolest name ever, but it does the job). You can sign up for 30 days of email coaching at no cost (since you’ll be Beta testing it) at https://speedsecrets.com/zone.

TJ Fischer joins me to talk about racing with asthma, his asthma awareness campaign, late braking, the mindset that the best drivers have, the importance of the right coach, and how to get up to speed quickly.

TJ currently competes in the Pro Mazda series, part of the Mazda Road to Indy program, driving for Team Pelfrey.

You can follow TJ though his podcast, I Hate Racing Radio (on iTunes, Sound Cloud, or his website), and learn more about his asthma awareness campaign at ProjectO2.org, as well as www.tjfischer.com.

John Drysdale joins me to talk about his experience in his first season of amateur club racing – about what he’s learning, what’s surprised him and what hasn’t, and most importantly, what’s helping him the most. Whether you’re moving into club racing, or up from one run group to another in HPDE and track day events, John’s experience is relevant.

John lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, and races at Atlantic Motorsport Park. 2017 is his first season of competitive club racing, and he’s sharing his experience in a blog called “Four Seconds” (the amount of time he felt he needed to find to become a competitive racer).